A damn, fine thread, which I've just now, discovered. ... I would agree, HEARTILY, with "howling" and "Woodduck", in their late-August/2017 posts about that TITLE role, and how crucial it is. In other words, it's the Golden Age baritone - Riccardo Stracciari - who's at his BEST, and the other roles, for the most part, are covered very-capably, also. There've been many, other subsequent recordings, of course, and other posts & posters have acknowledged them. I'll simply put one more vote for the Borlange fellow - Jussi Bjorling - in the title role, despite the limitations of the other vocalists. ... Finally, would like to include a Nov./1944 recording (yes, indeed, from Nazi Berlin of the time). It has NO ONE'S favorite tenor, Josef Greindl, as Sparafucile ... and the variable Helge Roswaenge, as the Duke of Mantua. What it DOES have, though, is the marvelous Gilda of Erna Berger, the Maddalena of Margarete Klose, and the versatile Georg Hann, as Graf von Monterone, with the estimable Robert Heger, conducting the forces of German opera, at the time. Moreover, it does have one of the better/best Rigolettos of all - Heinrich Schlusnus - who imparts HIS unique, inimitable stamp of vocalism and characterization. Maybe Rigoletto has never done-BETTER than by some of these excellent singers of the past - OK?
